Forever in Memory
by Nauki Yasha
Summary: Inu-Yasha has a confrontation with Kikyo. He learns that is most important to him.


Inu-Yasha stopped in his tracks as he stared at her. His heart wanted to race, but something was calming him. "Kikyo..." His eyes were wide, his body tense. He wanted to go near her, but was afraid. She had been the love of his life fifty-five years ago. However, in the past five years, he had started to bond more with Kagome. Kikyo was not once what she used to be. Her attitudes and outlook on life, had changed greatly. She stood staring at him with a blank expression on her face. Kikyo acknowledged his prescence. "Inu-Yasha, are you so afraid of me that you will not come near me?" "I'm not afraid of you," he said looking away for a moment. "I know that you are. It troubles you to look at me." Kikyo's soul gatherers flew around her. Strange bulbs of light shown and dimmed as they passed. "I am not afraid of who you are. I do not like what you have become. Your heart is not pure as it was in the past." She walked closer to him. He did not move. "You do not like what I have become?" She laughed a little in amusement. "You were once like I am now. Now you are afraid that I have become as you once were." Inu-Yasha sighed. He knew it too well. His heart had gone pure, and Kikyo's had turned to hatred and anger. "I loved you because you were pure...Because you made me see the good in others, Kikyo. Now you are more resented on revenge of the past." "I cannot help but be drawn into the past, Inu-Yasha. What we had still reflects in my mind." "Kikyo,...I can't keep going on like this. You still hate me, believing I was the one who betrayed you. I didn't do it! It wasn't me, it was Naraku, and you know that. Why do you choose to keep hating me over it?" His eyes pleaded with her. "In a way, you did betray me. Your concern is elsewhere." She stared at him sadly, then looked down. "A long time ago, I was wanting you to change for my sake, but now that you have changed for your own, and others, I resent you for it." Inu-Yasha didn't understand. She wanted to be his main concern. "I can't go back to the past, Kikyo..I can't! I have others who need me, friends, and I have to look out for them. My main concern now is....," he trailed off as crying started to drift to his ears. Kikyo stared at him, watching him. He was listening. Inu-Yasha turned around. "I have someone who needs me very badly, someone who doesn't have anyone." He looked behind him waiting for her. "Ehh..Eh.," she cried for him, rubbing her eyes. *Where's my papa? It's dark..* Nauki got up from where she was laying. She didn't see him anywhere. "Inu..Yas..sa..." She only called him by his name when she couldn't find him, or was seriously scared. Kikyo heard the little girl's voice. *A child? He's been taking care of a small child?* She couldn't believe it. Inu-Yasha had never showed any sign of compassion, or care for anyone. Inu-Yasha turned his back to Kikyo. He walked away from her watching for Nauki. "Little One, "he called. When he didn't see her, he whistled sharply for her. Nauki came running for him out of the darkness, her arms outstretched. She grabbed a hold of him when he bent down. As she clinged to him, she noticed the mysterious woman standing a good ways from him. Inu-Yasha picked her up, then headed his way back over to Kikyo. She was watching him with a new alertness. He stopped. Nauki was watching the woman with wide eyes. She wasn't used to people she didn't know. "Do you see now?" Kikyo was entranced by the little girl. "Her eyes are strange." "They're different," he said, holding Nauki firmer. "How odd it is for you to be taking care of a small child," Kikyo said. Nauki didn't like the way the woman was looking at her. She moved closer to Inu-Yasha. *She looks like my mama...And her heartbeat sounds like the other half of my mom's.* Nauki didn't understand. Inu-Yasha was beginning to realize Kikyo's goal. She wanted to keep him to herself. Something that was very selfish to do. He couldn't help what had happened to her. She had never told him about Onigumo as they became closer together. "People change over time, Kikyo. Changing can either be good, or bad. I have changed. I am not the boy you once knew, and I will never remain that way again." "So that is how it is then." Kikyo turned around, walking away from him. She did not look back as she disappeared into the wildnerness. Inu-Yasha started to breathe again. He had been holding his breath. *I can't change the past..but I can control the future. I'm sorry Kikyo, I'm the past and you have to realize that.* Nauki looked up at him. He was staring off, his mind elsewhere. She pulled on one of his tresses. "Papa," she said. He looked down at her slowly. Inu-Yasha blinked his eyes at her. *My heart lys with Nauki.* He smiled at her gently, then closed his eyes, rubbing his nose against hers. Nauki closed her eyes, letting Inu-Yasha rub his nose against hers. She cooed at him, scratching at his chin a little. Nauki licked at his lips, then kissed him. "Papa, you..weave me?" "Huh?" *I know I promised to protect Kikyo, but I can't stop having a life. I still love her in a way..* "No, I'm not going to leave you, Little One. Not for anything in the world." "My..Inu..Yas..sa," Nauki said. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him protectively. "Mine. Mine..Mine." "Alright, I think we have to talk about the possessive thing again, Nauki." He turned back around, walking away from the wildnerness. From a distance, Kikyo was quietly watching him. ************************************************************************* Sango took Nauki's green kimono off. "Alright, bullfrog, time to go bathe." She watched Nauki jump around in her night kimono. Sango smiled at her. "You're so cute," she said. Nauki smiled at her. "Miroku, that's my spot," Inu-Yasha said bitterly. He looked up to his friend, whom was sitting on one of the larger rocks, getting drenched by the waterfall. "I got here first, Inu-Yasha," Miroku said with his eyes closed. "This space doesn't have your name on it." "Then I'll come up there and carve my name into it," Inu-Yasha said with his fists clenched. "Stop your complaining." "Arg," Inu-Yasha growled a little. He sat on one of the other boulders near Miroku, scowling with his arms crossed. "You are such a pain.." They sat by themselves for a few minutes until Inu-Yasha heard Nauki running towards them, giggling. "Bullfrog, you can't go bathe with the boys. It's not polite to do that." Sango grabbed onto her wrist, holding her back. "We just have to wait our turns." "You can bathe with us if you like," Miroku said, smiling a bit. "I wouldn't mind." "You probably wouldn't, you pervert," Inu-Yasha said. "Who wouldn't jump at the chance of two beautiful ladies bathing underneath the waterfall with them?" "Huh? Miroku! You are completely twisted!" Inu-Yasha turned his head, yelling at the top of his lungs. "You are not about to bathe with my daughter!" Miroku sat smirking some. He loved to get Inu-Yasha fired up. Sango had just put her things down when Nauki got away from her. "Nauki!" Nauki ran straight for the waterfall. The fact that it was water pouring on them didn't come across her mind. She wanted to be near her two favorite guys in the whole wide world. She ran to them, giggling. "Nauki, you're suppose to be with Sango. Boys have to bathe then girls. They can't get in at one time," Inu-Yasha told her from atop the boulder. "Your dad's right, Sunshine," Miroku said. Nauki wasn't buying it. She started to crawl onto the large rocks, her feet digging in. She made her way up to Miroku who was sitting on the largest boulder. "Mirouie," she said happily as she stood next to him. "Hmmm?" Miroku turned his head. "How did you get up here so fast?" Inu-Yasha leaned up looking at her. "Nauki, you could slip from up there!" Miroku grabbed her around the waist. He sat her on his leg. "You shouldn't be up here. We're very high up to someone your size," he said. Nauki wasn't paying any attention. She leaned back on him, then turned her head, giving Miroku a big kiss on the cheek. "My Mirouie." He looked down at her, raising a brow. "You have to excuse her. She's gotten into the possessive phase," Inu- Yasha said, closing his eyes again. "My Inu..Yas..sa..My Mirouie..My..'ango," Nauki said as the water hit her on the head. "Well, it's typical of children her age. Most children do go through a possessive phase, a biting phase, a hitting phase, etc.," Miroku said.  
  
Inu-Yasha shook himself dry as Nauki stood near him watching Miroku ring out his clothes. She started to shake her head and body just like Inu- Yasha. Sango was under the waterfall, bathing alone, as usual. Miroku stepped a few feet from Nauki, ringing out his clothes again since she had flung water at him. "Are you alright?" He glanced up at Inu- Yasha. He could tell his mind was deep in thought. Inu-Yasha heard him a little, coming out of his daydream. "Yes," he said softly. He knew he wasn't. He kept thinking about seeing Kikyo and what she had said. Inu-Yasha felt himself being pulled more to Kagome because she was what Kikyo used to be, in a way. He didn't want either of the women to hate him. Inu-Yasha had to keep telling himself that Nauki was his main concern so he wouldn't think about either one of them. Nauki could tell something was wrong with him. She remembered how tense his body was when he was talking to the mysterious woman. She walked up to him slowly, then licked his claw gently. Nauki wanted him to be alright. She didn't like seeing him worried, or confused. She liked it better when he was happy and playful. He felt Nauki lick him. Inu-Yasha looked down to see her sparkling purple eyes watching him with sadness. She could always tell what mood he was in, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Inu-Yasha ran his claw through the back of her head. He had only been with Nauki for a short time, and yet...there was something so warm and inviting about her. Nauki leaned into him. She wondered why he was so sad. Inu-Yasha tilted his head a little watching the three year-old. He kneeled down, running his claw absentmindly down her jawbone. *It's amazing how she's never been afraid of me, or what I am.* He kept looking into her eyes, not able to draw away from her. Nauki was trying her hardest to make him understand who and what she was. She knew deep down inside, he was afraid. *I don't want you to be afraid anymore, papa. I'm here to protect you...* Nauki closed her eyes, leaning her head into his claw as he stroked her cheek. He couldn't help but watch her innocence. She reminded him so much of the happiness he used to have when he was her age. Before..everything fell apart. Before his mother died, and he was left alone. Inu-Yasha found himself falling in love with Nauki more every day. She was opening up his world. The longer he sat watching her, the more he knew that that moment was going to remain in his memory forever. He reached forward, grabbing Nauki around the waist, to hug her comfortly in his arms. Inu-Yasha closed his eyes. At that moment, he knew that she belonged with him. 


End file.
